Why Guests Picked Pastel Colors for the Coronation of King Charles III

LONDON — King Charles III’s historic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday saw a plethora of royals, heads of state and celebrities wearing pastel colors.

The shades are an obvious choice for an historical occasion like that, according to Bethan Holt, fashion director at Telegraph, and the author of “The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style,” and “The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style.”

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“They are soft, pretty and unobtrusive, which is perfect if you’re one of the thousands of guests at an event with so many high-profile attendees. Pastels also look very beautiful together — no clashing, just a soft and sweet spectacle,” Holt noted.

“We are at the height of spring, too, which is the season when pastels come into their own — they would have looked even more lovely if the weather had played ball.”

Indeed, just like at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation 70 years ago, the weather was uncooperative, with dark skies, drizzle and occasional rain showers.

In Holt’s opinion, standout pastels included the Claire Mischevani lemon coat dress worn by Pippa Middleton, younger sister of the Princess of Wales, and Queen Rania of Jordan’s pastel yellow silk crepe tailored pencil dress with a bow collar by Tamara Ralph Couture.

Rose Hanbury, Marchioness of Cholmondeley, and Sarah Chatto, the daughter of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, meanwhile, went for a shade between ivory and cream.

Hanbury wore a vintage dress by Ossie Clark from the 1970s with a pair of black Aquazzura heels, the same style Kate Middleton had worn a day earlier for public duties.

Chatto attended the ceremony in a V-neck pleated dress by Jasper Conran with a hat in the same shade from Stephen Jones and accessories from Manolo Blahnik.

Holt also said she liked the chalky blue that Zara Tindall chose. She wore a coatdress by Laura Green with a matching fascinator, and accessorized her look with a Strathberry bag, Calleija diamond earrings, and diamond ribbon and tassel brooch from her mother Princess Anne.

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal also picked a similar shade of baby blue for the coronation. She wore a custom dress by Mary Katrantzou, and carried the “In Search of Lost Time” clutch bag by Olympia Le-Tan.

Pastel tones were also popular among the politicians who attended the event.

Olena Zelenska, first lady of Ukraine, wore a long coat and a matching dress underneath in sage, a kind of pastel green with gray and yellow undertones.

Sophie Trudeau, first lady of Canada, styled herself in a blush dress from high street brand Ted Baker, which is on sale for 157 pounds.

Finnegan Biden, granddaughter of President Joe Biden, attended the coronation with her grandmother Jill Biden, first lady of the U.S. She opted for a long, cream-yellow cape dress by Markarian. She completed her look with a yellow floral hairband and a small vanity case-style bag.

Britain’s home secretary Suella Braverman wore an ivory oversize fascinator in the shape of a flower to match her dove gray outfit.

Julie Bishop, former Australian minister of foreign affairs, picked a fitted light beige dress with floral motifs from Zimmermann, a matching hat from Australian milliner Nerida Winter and a bag and shoes from Dior.

Launch Gallery: Pastel Colors Dominate King Charles III Coronation

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